Geraniums can survive, thrive over winter

Q How can I save the geraniums I was given this year for planting again next year? I've been asking around and gotten several different suggestions. A I hope you have already taken the geraniums indoors! Geraniums can be overwintered indoors by potting individual plants, taking cuttings, or storing the bare-root plants in a cool, dry place. Regardless of the method, the plants need to be removed from the garden or bed prior to the first frost. Bare-root plant over-wintering involves digging the plants carefully and shaking all the soil from their roots. Hang the plants upside down in a 45- to 50-degree F, dry location. Some gardeners have similar success by placing the bare-root plants in a paper grocery sack. Regardless of the method you may choose, be sure to soak the roots of each plant for 1 to 2 hours once a month during the winter. Most of the leaves will eventually fall off the plants so the sack method may be the neater of the two methods. When early spring arrives, cut each plant back to remove all shriveled, dead material. Leave the firm, solid, healthy, live stems. Now pot the plants and water thoroughly. Put the potted plants in a sunny window or under artificial lights. Geraniums pruned and planted during March should reward you with healthy plants ready for planting outdoors in the spring after all danger of late-spring frost is past. Another method of overwintering geraniums is to take cuttings from the original plant. Using a sharp knife, take 3- to 4-inch cuttings from the terminals or the shoots. Remove the lower leaves from the cutting and dip the base of the cutting in a rooting hormone. Place the cuttings in rooting medium and water thoroughly. Drain any excess water from the medium and slip the container, with planted cuttings, in a clear plastic bag. Place the cuttings in a window with bright, but not direct sunlight. In about 6 to 8 weeks the cuttings will have rooted and developed a good root system. It's now time to remove each new plant from the rooting medium and pot it in its own pot. Other gardeners simply dig up the plants and place each in a 6- to 8-inch pot. To balance the plant to its now-reduced root system, prune the plant back to one-half to one-third its original height. Water the plants, place in a sunny window or under artificial lights. The ideal growing temperature for geraniums is near 65 F during the day and around 55 F during the night. If grown under low light and warm temperatures, geraniums become tall and spindly. Winter management should include watering when the soil medium dries and occasionally pinching the shoots to produce stockier, thicker plants. Unless the geraniums have some particular value, many gardeners find it much more convenient to simply purchase a few new plants each spring. However, geraniums are more expensive than most spring plants and if you plan to plant large numbers of geraniums each year, overwintering can help reduce the expense.